SEATTLE — The National Marine Fisheries Service is set to designate about 1,000 square miles in Puget Sound as critical habitat for three species of imperiled rockfish.
The habitat protection follows a 2010 decision to list yelloweye, canary and bocaccio rockfish under the Endangered Species Act.
The agency says the rockfish are vulnerable to overfishing because they have long lives and mature slowly with sporadic reproduction.
The designation will require federal agencies to make sure their actions don’t harm rockfish habitat. The rule is scheduled to be published on Thursday.
The protected area will cover about 340 fewer square miles that originally proposed, excluding some tribal lands and military areas.
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